Humpback Anglerfish
The Humpback Anglerfish is a species of anglerfish found in both and . Humpback anglerfish are a well-known species of deep-sea fish, known for their distinctive lure and large mouth, which are used to hunt in the darkness of the deep sea. In-Game Description "These fish have round, skinny bodies and a large protrusion that juts from the head. They are mostly black in color, with occasional red mottling. They can be seen year-round in deep, dark parts of the ocean. They have extremely large, upward-facing mouths with rows of long teeth on each section of the jaw. The protrusions that stem from their heads emit light used to draw prey towards their gaping mouths, where they then swallow it whole. Because their teeth point inward, captured prey have very little hope of escape. These fish can also inflate their stomachs and abdominal regions to incredible sizes, which allows them to consume prey far bigger than they are. However, these fish have been known to bite off more than they can chew and actually perish while trying to swallow a fish that was simply too large." "This fish has a huge mouth and long teeth, along with a special glowing protrusion growing from its head. It waves the protrusion to lure prey close, then eats it whole." Bigmouth "This anglerfish can puff up its body to swallow prey that is even larger than itself, but if the prey is too large the anglerfish may also die. Its teeth can be pushed inwards but not outwards, so prey cannot escape after being swallowed." Location Humpback anglerfish can be seen under zoom-mode glows in the Abyss, but they're more easily found in the Abyss's signature caves, such as the Secret Cave and the Crystal Cave. Humpback anglerfish are found in the Zahhab Region Depths in the North Crevasse, under a zoom-mode glow spot at coordinates B-2. It is recommended that the player bring Oceana in order to make zoom-mode glows easier to find. Behavior These fish behave the same in both games, swimming about idly under zoom-mode glows and responding positively to food. They can be found by themselves, but oftentimes the glows contain single anglerfish accompanied by a barreleye or two, a few firefly squids, or a pair of glass squid. Notes * This is one of Oceana's favorite creatures. Real-Life Information * Other common names for the humpback anglerfish include Johnson's Anglerfish and humpback blackdevil; the former of these two originates from the scientist who discovered the fish and lent it its species name, James Yate Johnson. * Humpback anglerfish reside in the ocean at depths of between 1,000 and 4,000 meters, though they can be found active as shallow as 100 meters and as deep as 4,500. * The lure of the anglerfish is a prominent example of symbiosis in nature, as well as a unique adaptation of ambush hunting. ** The lure functions thanks to bacteria that live inside of it. The bacteria inside of the lure are bioluminescent; in exchange for letting the bacteria reside in its lure, the anglerfish is able to use their bioluminescence to attract prey in the ocean. * The humpback anglerfish is a prime example of sexual dimorphism - the difference in appearance between opposite sexes of the same animal. Females grow up to 18 cm in size, whereas males only reach roughly 3 cm. ** Interestingly, the anglerfish seen in-game have all the characteristics of the female humpback anglerfish but are only half their size. * Melanocetus johnsonii, the species of anglerfish featured in both games, is unique amongst other species of anglerfish in that male specimens of M. johnsonii are non-parasitic; in most cases, mating requires the male anglerfish to latch onto the underbelly of the female, where the male will remain for the rest of his life, alongside the female. However, M. johnsonii is the only species of anglerfish not reproduce this way; rather, the female releases eggs into the water, and the male releases semen, fertilizing the eggs. This means that males are not bound to females for their entire lives and can have several mates. ** As far as is currently known, this does not necessarily mean that males and females are always separate; males generally remain with the female for the rest of their lives, but being non-parasitic means they can also swim independently to search for food. * The first specimen to be discovered in Antarctic waters was retrieved from the stomach of an Antarctic toothfish. Gallery humpback anglerfish 3.jpg|Another real-life example of a Humpback Anglerfish. humpback anglerfish 4.jpg|A famous anglerfish - potentially a humpback, but with more bioluminescence than normal. Humpback anglerfish dimorphism comparison.png|A model showing the size difference between male and female humpback anglerfishes. Humpback Anglerfish (EO1) 1.png|A pair of anglerfish, as seen in the first game. Humpback Anglerfish (EO1) 2.png Humpback Anglerfish (EO1) 3.png Category:Creatures Category:Deep-Sea Life Category:Oceane's Favorite Creatures Category:Creatures in Endless Ocean Category:Zahhab Region Depths Creatures Category:Creatures Found Under Glows Category:Bioluminescent Creatures Category:Creatures in Blue World Category:Endless Ocean: Blue World Category:The Abyss Category:The Abyss Creatures Category:Adult/Young Creatures Category:Adult-only Creatures Category:Creatures Found Day and Night Category:Endless Ocean Category:Zahhab Region Depths